


A Shift in Spectrum

by luoup (ravenic)



Series: It's All Friends Here, All Love [Platonic Week #3] [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), Gen, Green Paladin Hunk (Voltron), Lion shuffle, Post-Season/Series 02, Red Paladin Pidge (Voltron), Yellow Paladin Allura (Voltron), bayard changes, blue kept lance 'cause she loooooves him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-01-29 13:51:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12632361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenic/pseuds/luoup
Summary: Day 5 Prompt 1: Changemy take on the Lion shuffle





	1. the shuffle

**Author's Note:**

> this is a concept i've been obsessing over since s3. i was... not pleased with how they handled the lion switch, and i had Opinions, so i made my own version. 
> 
> also, because i've apparently decided to abandon canon anyway (also i forgot the in-series reasonings), they change bayards in this too. that was fun. 
> 
> enjoy!

Shiro was missing.  They needed a new Black Paladin.  Nobody wanted to replace Shiro (no matter how temporarily, they were determined to find him alive and safe and soon), but Voltron had to form.  They had to try. 

When Black illuminated at his touch, Keith nearly cried.  He didn’t want this.  He didn’t want his brother’s Lion – he wanted his brother back.  But the universe didn’t seem to care. 

And so Keith became the Black Paladin. 

“So… who’s going to fly the Red Lion?” Lance asked the question they were all thinking, looking at Keith standing small and miserable at Black’s feet. 

Keith glanced up, the first sign of interest on his face since the Black Lion chose him.  “It’s obvious,” he said, his eyes just a trace brighter.  “Pidge.”

The smallest Paladin stared at him.  “Me?”

“Yeah.  You’re already an Arm.  And I’ve seen what you’ll do to protect those you care about.  Red will love you.”

They watched Pidge climb the ramp into the Red Lion.  Keith almost relaxed.  He didn’t want to be the Black Paladin, and he didn’t want to fly the Black Lion.  He loved Red, loved her speed and her power and her ferocity.  Black wasn’t his, but at least he knew Red would be in good hands.  He trusted his fellow Arm with his life.  Now he was trusting her with his Lion. 

_This pilot was not a pilot.  She was a technician, a scientist, a genius.  Not a pilot.  But she flew anyway.  She belonged to the Other Side, but she was still an Arm.  Her mind was perfect for Green, but she had a ferocity that Red liked.  She would do whatever needed to be done.  She wasn’t Red’s true Paladin, but she was quite good enough, at least for now._

It took a few minutes.  The hangar was quiet, all eyes on the inactive Red Lion.  The silence was just long enough for Keith to begin to doubt his decision (after all, he knew better than anyone how picky and prickly Red was). 

**_Yes._ **

The catship’s eyes lit up and the beast roared at an eardrum-bursting volume.  The Red Lion had accepted her new pilot. 

Pidge looked a little shell-shocked as she stumbled back down to rejoin the group.  “Your Lion sure is… forceful,” she said dazedly. 

Keith laughed, and it almost sounded real.  “She sure is.”

Pidge’s grin bordered on feral.  “I like it.”

“All right,” Allura said.  “We have the Black and Red Lions settled.  Pidge, what do you think about the Green Lion?”

“Duh,” the new Red Paladin rolled her eyes.  “Definitely Hunk.”

Hunk looked surprised and a little uncertain.  “Are you sure?  Green is so fast and sneaky and like, super clever and stuff.  Are you sure –”

“Definitely.” Pidge jerked her head at her old Lion.  “Go.  You’re perfect for her.”

_If Green hadn’t been so enamored from the start with her tiny brilliant star of a Paladin, she might have fought Yellow for this one.  This tiny being – not as tiny as her true Paladin, but they were all tiny to her – was just as smart as hers.  His bright-sharp mind was too often overlooked, but being underestimated could be one of the greatest advantages._

**_Yes._ **

Green’s eyes lit the instant Hunk entered her cockpit.  It was easy to forget that behind the anxiety and general silliness was a mind just as brilliant as Pidge’s.  The Green Lion’s curiosity and cleverness fit him just as well as it had her. 

Hunk was grinning hugely when he came back.  “Green is so awesome,” he told Pidge. 

“I know,” she said smugly.  “Now who are you going to give to Yellow while you’re hanging out with my Lion?”

Hunk thought for a moment, and then smiled and shrugged.  “Hey, Lance,” he called to his best friend, “wanna switch Legs for a while?”

Lance was leaning against Blue’s paw, watching the shuffle take place before him.  He grinned.  “Sure, if you’re offering!”

He took two steps, and then the Blue Lion’s barrier came down. 

 _She had waited so long.  Too long.  Her Paladin was_ hers _, precious.  He belonged to her, and she to him.  The others could trade their pilots around like toys, but she was not giving this one up for the universe._

**_Mine._   **

“Uh, Lance?”

“I didn’t do it!” Lance looked startled and confused and a little alarmed.  “Blue, come on.  I love you, you know I do, but Shiro’s missing and we still need Voltron.  Come on, Blue!”

The Lion grumbled.  The barrier did not budge. 

The others were puzzled and Lance was looking increasingly distressed, but Hunk broke through the confusion.  “Okay, Blue, I get it, you don’t want to give up your Paladin.  I understand, he’s great.  Don’t worry about it, Lance,” he added to his best friend, trying to calm him.  “Blue loves you too much to let any of the other Lions have you.” 

He turned then to Allura, surprising them all.  “Princess?  I know you’re important in the castle, but I think you wouldn’t be a bad fit with Yellow.”

Allura blinked.  She looked… uncertain?  There was something unreadable in her eyes, longing or hope or sadness.  “I… are you certain?  I’m not sure–”

Hunk nodded.  “Go ahead and try.  If it doesn’t work it doesn’t work, but I think Yellow will like you.”

The princess bit her lip, considering for a moment with that same strange look on her face.  Then she took a deep breath, turned, and entered the Yellow Lion. 

 _Oh.  This was familiar._ She _was familiar.  Yellow remembered.  He’d been older, taller.  The universe hadn’t been rent apart yet, and neither had Voltron.  He’d been strong of body and mind, and Yellow could sense the same strength in her.  She was a protector, just like Yellow, just like him.  Yellow loved her current Paladin, her true Paladin, but she couldn’t help the feeling of nostalgia and joy at accepting her old Paladin’s cub into her bond._

 ** _Yes._**  

Yellow’s rumbling purr and glowing yellow eyes said all that needed to be said.  For now, at least, Allura was the Yellow Paladin. 

They all stood still for a moment.  They had Voltron now.  Things had changed, but it still worked.  It wasn’t forever – they would find Shiro, they _would_ – it was good enough for now. 

“Told you she’d like you,” Hunk said to Allura.  He held out his Bayard.  “I think this is yours.” 

Allura stared at the Bayard.  So innocuous, in its inactive form.  But she wasn’t a real Paladin – wasn’t even the true Paladin for any of the Lions!  She was an outsider.  What form would a Bayard take for her? 

There was only one way to find out.  If Hunk noticed the tremble in her fingers as she reached for his Bayard, he didn’t say anything.  It was smooth and cool beneath her hand.  _All right,_ she thought.  _What are you?_

There was a flash, and suddenly Allura was holding a halberd, long and gleaming.  The haft was white, with golden blades, tip, and solid heavy cap at the base.  It wasn’t the hammer her father had wielded as the Yellow Paladin, but it was perfect for her.  At once delicate and powerful – Allura loved it instantly. 

“That is so cool,” Hunk breathed.  He stared at his Lion, glowing for Allura, his Bayard, taking its new form, _her_ form, different yet familiar, in her hands. 

“Hey Hunk,” Pidge said, “catch.”  She tossed him the Green Bayard, the inactive weapon spinning through the air to land securely in the new Green Paladin’s hands.  Upon contact the Bayard transformed, and in a breath Hunk was holding a staff, almost as long as he was tall.  The majority of it was smooth and white, although the center third had a grip pattern like wrapped cables, shining green.  He stared at it, twisting his hands experimentally across the cording, feeling the strong solid weight, and then looked up, gaze bouncing back and forth between Pidge and Lance with an expression that could be best described as the world’s most excited puppy.  _Look, look what I have!_   Lance gave him a big grin and a thumbs-up.  Pidge just nodded, a look of pride on her face. 

“Your turn,” Keith said.  She met his eyes as he passed her the Red Bayard: _This is temporary.  You’re getting this back soon, because Shiro’s gonna want his Lion back._  

In Pidge’s hands, the bayard flickered and then split, half to each hand.  Now in each fist she held a double-pointed dagger, blades gleaming bone-white with scarlet hilts and crossguards.  “Sweet,” she murmured, slashing through the air with one half of her new weapon.  “Keith, Green will always be my favorite, but Red is _badass._ ”

“I know,” Keith said, a rare real smile on his face.  But it dropped in an instant as Allura stepped forward.  She still had her halberd, but in her other hand she held the Black Bayard. 

“This is yours now,” she said, and he might have gotten angry again but her eyes looked just as sad as he felt.  Shiro was his brother, but that didn’t mean the rest of the team wasn’t feeling his loss too.  The princess forced some positivity into her voice.  “I’m sure you’ll be giving it back to him soon, so let’s see what it does for you!”

No matter how much he didn’t want to be the Black Paladin, Keith couldn’t say that he wasn’t curious too.  He was a fighter, he wanted to know how Black took that energy and transformed it into a physical weapon. 

It took almost a heartbeat too long, Keith’s throat tightening as he stared at the inactive bayard.  But then it flashed, bright as a star, and he was left holding not a blank weapon base, but a sabre. 

 _A sabre.  An officer’s blade.  The weapon of a leader._  But it was still a sword.  White hilt and guard, with an inky matte-black blade like empty space.  Keith could use this.  It wasn’t his Red Bayard, but this could work.  Long enough to find Shiro, at least. 

They were still Voltron, but it was different.  Keith had the Head, now, but Shiro had trusted him with this role.  He was still on the same level as the other Paladins, he would lead by listening.  Pidge’s ferocity and determination to protect had let the Red Lion accept her.  She was still an Arm, now a sword instead of a shield.  But Pidge had always been adaptable.  The Green Lion loved Hunk’s mind, and although it was a change being an Arm instead of a Leg, he was the shield.  It still fit.  He was a protector at heart.  Lance’s Blue Lion had loved her Paladin too much to share him even with her sisters, so he was the source of stability and familiarity for all the others now.  Allura flew her father’s Lion, but Yellow had accepted her for who she was, not who her father had been.  They both missed him, but she had people to protect now.  Maybe she wasn’t a true Paladin like the others, but Yellow had chosen her, and she knew she could fulfill the duties that lay before her. 

They would find Shiro, they would.  But the universe wasn’t going to wait.  They had work to do. 

_Form Voltron._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there will be more to this eventually because i love it. also, you know, shiro's gotta come back. 
> 
> (i know alfor was canonically the red paladin. but i was so certain that he was the yellow paladin. red still doesn't make sense to me.)


	2. the return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro comes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part 2! i have 4 sections planned for this au, and maybe more bits later if i feel like it/think of something interesting to add.

When they first became Voltron, Shiro never believed that he would ever think of the Castle of Lions as home.  But now, after months lost on that planet, worrying for his team and helpless to return to them, he could only stare out the window of his hijacked pod and think, _I’m home._

 _Finally, I’m home._  

The castle loomed before him, but the scanners recognized his biosignature and the hangar doors opened to let him in.  The hangar was quiet and empty, but that didn’t matter.  It was familiar, in the way that nothing had been for the past too many months. 

Shiro had returned. 

But everything was quiet.  Nobody came to investigate the strange pod’s arrival.  The hangar remained empty and echoing.  Something was wrong. 

Shiro’s feet carried him automatically to the bridge.  If anyone was in the castle they could be found there.  And if… if for some reason the ship was empty, Shiro would find what he needed to do in the main control center.  But the bridge wouldn’t be empty.  It couldn’t, someone had to be there.  Surely, someone would be there; the castle couldn’t be empty.  Shiro couldn’t still be alone. 

He heard the voices even before reaching the bridge.  Sounds of combat filtered through the comms, and Shiro could hear shouting and gunfire. 

“This isn’t working,” he heard Lance’s voice, blurred with static and split with the sharp cracks of his bayard firing. 

“Allura, we need Voltron!” Pidge sounded angry, out of breath. 

“I know!”  That voice wasn’t from a radio.  Allura was stressed, frustrated, and on the bridge in person. 

For a moment, Shiro froze.  He’d been gone for so long; how had things changed in his absence?  How had the team changed?  How were they forming Voltron?  But he couldn’t stay paralyzed here in the hallway forever.  Shiro was back, and he needed to rejoin the team. 

There was more static from the bridge.  “Hello?  Hunk, something’s interfering with our communications.  Hunk, can you hear me?  Hello?  Keith!  Lance, Pidge, anyone?  Hello?!”  Allura said some words that didn’t translate but were almost certainly not Princess-like statements.  “Can anybody hear me?!”  The sound of someone punching something very hard was audible. 

The team was in danger, and there was no time to waste.  Shiro stepped onto the bridge. 

Allura turned at the sound.  At the sight of him, her skin turned the faintly transparent that Alteans did in place of a Human’s going pale in shock.  She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. 

Shiro smiled weakly.  “Hello, Princess.  I’m back.”

The sound of his voice seemed to only shock her further.  “Shiro – you – how–”

Another burst of static startled them both.  _“---- Allura -- heavy fire --- where ---- Voltron---------”_

Emotions flashed across Allura’s face.  There was worry, anger, and… indecision?  “Shiro,” she finally said, voice thick with suppressed feeling.  “I – we – we’ve missed you, and there are many questions, but we’re in combat.  I don’t – I can’t – the comms are down, and we need Voltron.  But we need the castle too, and Coran can’t run it for this level of involvement.  I have to stay here, I can’t take Yellow out there or we’ll lose a major defense.”

Shiro was nodding along, ready to jump back into the running of things, but this made his blood freeze.  “Wait.  The Yellow Lion?  What happened to Hunk?” _He’s fine, he’s fine, he has to be fine –_

The princess blinked.  Then she seemed to understand, and smiled at him although the tension of the current situation did not leave her body language.  “Hunk is alright, Shiro.  He’s piloting the Green Lion.”

Shiro’s mental trainwreck didn’t get any better.  “He – but – Pidge?–”

Allura hurried to explain.  “Pidge is the current Red Paladin.  You were right, Shiro.  The Black Lion accepted Keith as her Paladin.  Pidge took over Red, and Hunk moved to Green.  I have been piloting the Yellow Lion.”

This information left Shiro reeling.  There was still one more hole, but he could fill it in on his own.  “And the Blue Lion – she didn’t want to give Lance up.”

Allura nodded, looking faintly proud.  “Not for the universe.  She even brought down her barrier to keep him from leaving her.”

Shiro had to laugh at that.  “Of course she did.  Blue loves Lance and he loves her.  I can’t imagine him in any other Lion.”

“Neither can I.”

The moment was interrupted by a particularly loud burst of static from the comm speakers.  No words came through, but there was a clear sound of gunfire.  Shiro couldn’t tell from the noise if it was Lance’s bayard or enemy weapons. 

Allura’s face settled back into its hard mask, ready to fight.  “Shiro, I can’t leave.  The castle is vital for protecting the civilians, and I’m the only one who can power and control it at this extent.  Coran and I have to stay here to keep the castle running and monitor the battlefield. 

“I need you to take Yellow and go to them.”

The (former?) Black Paladin stared at her.  _What?_   “You… you want me to fly the Yellow Lion?”

“Yes.  I can’t go right now, and I think she will accept you.”

Shiro wasn’t so sure.  _The Yellow Lion_.  Stable, supportive, a solid protector.  Shiro didn’t feel like much of that at all.  Even his leadership with Black had been mostly a mask, although the head of Voltron had seen through it and chosen him as her Paladin anyway.  But the Yellow Lion – she had no reason to accept someone like Shiro.  “Allura, I don’t–”

More static, louder this time.  What sounded like an explosion filtered in, blurred shouting in the distance.  Things weren’t going well out on the battlefield. 

Allura shook her head.  “There’s no time.  Go to Yellow, Shiro.  The team needs you.” 

 _The team needs you._   And that was all that mattered, wasn’t it?  If Yellow would let Shiro fly her, just this once, that was all that mattered.  Finally, he could be there for them again.  Shiro bit his lip and then nodded.  He saw Allura’s smile, pride and relief shining in her eyes, and then he was gone.  Back to the hangars.  To the Yellow Lion. 

He could only hope that Allura was right, that Yellow would let him in. 

* * *

This fight had gone spectacularly sideways from the start.  They’d been detected way too early, and Hunk and Pidge hadn’t been able to get what they needed from the computers.  There were more sentrybots on this base than expected, and even getting back outside had been a struggle.  The main downside of the shuffle had been the loss of Hunk’s cannon, leaving Lance the only Paladin with a long-range weapon.  Pidge could throw her daggers if she had to – her aim was already pretty good from the grappling hook aspect of her Green Bayard.  But throwing a knife only did so much when there were legitimate floods of sentries, all armed and aiming for the Paladins.  Honestly – a _rifle_ only did so much when there were floods of armed and focused sentries.  In short, the four were struggling to make it back to their Lions. 

Lance was at the back of the group, trying to snipe the sentries between the flashes of black, red, and green armor as the other three did their best to forge a path through the robots.  Hunk was using both his shield and his heavy green staff, trying to protect himself and Lance at least a little bit.  Keith and Pidge were cutting the bots down in surges, but there were only two of them, an ink-dark sabre and twin red daggers, against too many. 

Far too many.  They were trying, all of them, but there were literal walls of sentrybots, and they were all just trying not to get killed, and then Lance looked up and couldn’t see any red or black, only Hunk’s green armor to his left. 

“Where did they go?”

Hunk swung his staff like a baseball bat and knocked a sentry’s head off.  “What?  Where are – ohmygod.”  He realized it the same moment Lance did.  “They’re gone.”

Lance shook his head, shooting two bots through their cores as they tried to blindside Hunk.  “We have to get to the Lions.  Keith and Pidge will be headed there too, and if they don’t beat us to them we can take Blue and Green and go pick them up ourselves.”

Hunk looked strained, but he nodded.  “Meet them at the Lions.  Good idea.  They’ll be fine.  We just gotta get to the Lions.”

Easier said than done.  There were so many Galra sentries, too many to be handled by a rifle and a staff.  They needed Keith’s sharp sword, needed Pidge’s fast daggers.  They needed Voltron. 

They tried, but a staff and a rifle just weren’t enough to handle this number of sentrybots.  It was only a matter of time before something went wrong, and it finally did. 

Lance was incredible when he had a vantage point and a field of view, distance from the fight.  He could cover everyone, keeping them informed of their surroundings and shooting down any threats.  But in the thick of the fighting the rifle was far less useful, and he couldn’t see _anything._   He could barely keep himself from getting hit and could hardly afford to try to help Hunk, much less keep an eye out for the others who were still missing. 

He kept trying anyway.  But there was too much happening and a sentry’s strike came out of nowhere and suddenly Lance was sprawled on the floor, bayard skidding away across the ground.  Hunk shouted something, but he was too far away to be able to use his staff to protect his friend.  Lance stared at the sentry, out of breath and unable to do anything to defend himself as the bot raised its weapon. 

It never hit the mark.  Instead, the blast hit a massive golden kite shield and ricocheted away, striking a rock and bursting into harmless sparks. 

The Yellow Paladin wasted no time.  In a heartbeat the shield twisted and swung, the edge taking the sentrybot’s head clean off.  The bot fell to the ground, more sparks showering from the severed neckbase. 

“Holy _quiznak_ , Allura, you have the best timing in the entire universe,” Lance said in a nervous rush, standing shakily. 

There was just enough of a lull in the fighting that Hunk was able to grab Lance’s bayard and come to him, standing beside his friend as he stared at the Paladin wearing his former color.  “How did you change your bayard like that?” he asked.  “You have a halberd.  Can we do that?  Change our bayards’ forms?  Because that would be great.  Lance can’t be the only long-range on the team, it’s just a bad idea.  Like just now, that could have been really bad.  I mean, good timing, but that was _way_ too close, and–”

The Yellow Paladin pulled off their helmet, and Hunk’s rambling cut off abruptly.  He and Lance stared in shock – it wasn’t Allura underneath. 

Shiro gave the two a sheepish smile.  “The Princess is back on the castle.  Your comms cut off, and I showed up at the right time.  She sent me down here instead.”

Blue and Green Paladins alike were speechless.  They were saved from trying to think of any reasonable reaction, or figure out whether or not this was real at all, by the arrival of the last two Paladins of Voltron. 

The Black and Red armors were battered – Keith and Pidge must have had a rough time of it too, from the looks of it – but besides a crack on Keith’s right pauldron and a superficial cut on Pidge’s forehead, they seemed alright. 

At first they were frozen too.  Pidge stayed there, eyes wide, but Keith suddenly jerked forward, staggering like a badly-controlled puppet towards his brother.  He opened his mouth but no sound came out. 

“I’m here,” Shiro whispered, looking at once incredibly happy and immensely sad.  “I’m home.”

Keith’s stumbling picked up speed until he collided with Shiro, their armor clunking together awkwardly although neither of them seemed to notice.  Keith had wrapped himself around Shiro almost painfully, face pressed into the Yellow chestplate and mumbling indecipherably.  Shiro clung back just as tight. 

There was a sudden flash as Pidge disformed her bayards, the red-and-white double-pointed daggers vanishing back into her bracelets as she ran, colliding headlong with Shiro’s side and nearly knocking the set of them over.  Hunk caught them before everyone could fall, and then had to readjust as Lance practically leapt onto Shiro’s free side, gushing words in an almost incomprehensible stream.  Hunk shifted his weight to better hold them all and leaned into Shiro’s back, pressing close and trying to decipher what had just happened. 

Shiro was back.  Shiro was here.  Shiro was in Yellow armor, holding an enormous kite shield of white-bordered yellow on his non-Galra arm, like some knight’s shield from a fairy tale. 

The reunion was abruptly cut short when a shot from a Galra sentrybot’s blaster scorched the ground near Keith’s feet.  In a heartbeat they had separated: Hunk gripping his staff, Lance aiming his rifle, Keith lifting his sword, Pidge forming her daggers, Shiro raising his shield.

They hadn’t been this form of Voltron for much time, still learning how to fight in their new positions with new weapons.  But the bond was there, between the four who had been together for so long regardless of Lion color.  Shiro had missed the changes and the settling of the new pattern, but he fit back in flawlessly.  He was still Shiro and the bond was there, despite the fact that he was now a Leg wielding a shield instead of the Head that ruled Voltron, with only his deathly glowing hand as a weapon.

Keith had been so reluctant to lead, unwilling to take his brother’s role.  But he filled the position well, and although his sword was a different shape and color, he was just as skilled with it.  Pidge’s ferocity was more prominent now, fighting like barbed lightning and throwing her daggers with the deadly accuracy she had learned when her weapon had taken the form of an electrified grappling hook, her mind just as sharp.  Hunk’s staff had replaced his cannon, the same power in a different form.  Now his focus was cleverness and intelligence, things he had always had but had been in the background until now.   Lance was the same as he had ever been, a familiarity they would have been lost without.  He was their eyes, their backup, their support. 

Shiro noticed the differences and the similarities.  This wasn’t the same team he had left behind when he’d vanished.  They had changed, colors and weapons and something more, something intrinsic.  It wasn’t a bad change – they were good.  The Lions had chosen well the first time, but they hadn’t done too badly the second go-around either. 

Things were different, but they were still Voltron.  Shiro wasn’t sure where he was going to fit now – literally and metaphorically – but they would work it out.  He trusted them.  He was back. Everything else could be figured out. 

Shiro raised his shield and charged in, Yellow armor gleaming like pure gold. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shiro deserves nice things


	3. the reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Return to the Lions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops i'm still alive sorry. 
> 
> reminder that this is not canon (duh), so shiro really is shiro. he wasn't kidnapped by the Galra so the maybeprobablycloning misadventures have not happened in this storyline. poor shiro. 
> 
> that aside: things go, as they have been going, quite differently from canon, because that's why i made this story.

Shiro’s return was a shock, to put it lightly.  They’d never stopped searching, of course, but there was a universe to save and the Galra hadn’t exactly been waiting for the Black Paladin to return from wherever he’d vanished to. 

He had been teleported somehow, he told the others once they got back to their Lions (and had a momentary confusion about who was in which) and returned to the castleship.  He’d ended up on a tiny empty planet and had been trapped there until a set of scientists from some strange fluffy species had arrived, at which point he’d promptly stolen a pod to get to the Castle of Lions. 

Shiro had been lost to them, but he had found his way back on his own.  They hadn’t been able to find him (that was still a source of guilt, and probably would be for a while), but he had been able to find them.  He’d made it home. 

And now, there were other matters to attend to. 

“This is yours,” Keith said, holding out the inactive Black Bayard to his brother.  “Black is your Lion, Shiro.  It worked, with me, but I’m not the real Black Paladin.”

Shiro smiled, ruffling Keith’s hair and laughing when the other Paladin ducked away with a mock-growl.  “From what I hear, you did pretty well as leader yourself.  Don’t sell yourself short, Keith.  You did a good job.”

Keith shook his head, although he wasn’t hiding the contentment at the praise as well as he thought he was.  “Maybe I did.  But it’s not _my_ job.  I’m an Arm, not a Head.  Black is yours.”

“She’s mine,” Shiro murmured.  He stared at the Black Bayard, standing still for so long that Keith began to look uncertain.  Then, finally, the Black Paladin reached out and took his Bayard back. 

_He has been through so much, her Paladin.  So small, lost in a universe that was so much bigger than he could ever have imagined.  She had accepted the other, the one her Paladin had chosen, but that one was not hers.  He led well, but it is not his role.  He did what he had to, as did she.  What a match, the both of them, fighting a war for the universe but wanting nothing more than to see that one familiar face again.  Maybe she’d chosen him in part simply because the longing in his heart matched that in hers._

_Their faith was in the right place.  Her Paladin is back, more worn than ever but just as strong.  He has cracks, marks in mind and body of the battles he’s fought (the battles he’s won), but they are nothing but beautiful, to her.  He is a warrior, her little Paladin, and he has finally returned to her._

**_Mine._ **

The Black Lion didn’t roar.  She made not a single sound, but her eyes lit up, molten-gold and gleaming.  She had her Paladin back.  Black Lion and Black Paladin, reunited at last. 

As the moment faded, Keith’s eyes slid to the side.  “So.  Uh.  I thought about this a lot, about – about what would happen after we found Shiro.” He gestured vaguely around the group.  “Five Lions, six Paladins.  I’ve been talking with Kolivan, and he says that the Blade of Marmora can always use new members.  So in a few days, after we figure everything out, I’ll be going–”

The words were cut off by the Red Bayard bouncing off the side of Keith’s head.  He caught it by pure instinct, staring in confusion at Pidge. 

The smallest Paladin glared at him.  “Don’t even start.  First of all, nobody’s going anywhere, that was the whole quiznacking point of finding Shiro.  Also, in case you forgot: you _have_ a Lion, dummy.” She gestured somewhat violently at the Red Lion.  “Red is awesome, but it’s like having a Siamese cat yelling in my ear all the time.  Seriously, I don’t know how you do it.  But anyway, you’re taking your quiznacking Lion back, and you are absolutely not running off to join the Blade.  Go get your hell-kitty, if I stayed the Red Paladin I would spend the rest of my life arguing with a giant robot cat and I’d really rather not.”

Keith looked a little stunned, staring from Pidge to the Red Bayard in his hand to the Red Lion looming nearby.  Shiro patted him on the shoulder.  “You should know by now to listen to Pidge, Keith.  Go on.  Red is waiting for you.” 

_Here he is.  Her warrior, her little lion-heart.  Green’s Paladin is a fighter too, don’t get her wrong, but – it’s not the same.  Red has missed this one, her spark.  He was called to Black, called to lead, and he did it well.  But Black has her heart back, and now Red wants hers._

_He’s not leaving her.  This tiny Human fought to get her, and he’s stuck with her now.  She knows his reasons – she knows his mind and the wish to take a hit instead of letting another suffer.  He doesn’t want to lose any of the others, so he’d rather lose himself instead.  She understands why – he needs to be useful, needs to do_ something _, so if Black is reunited and Red has a new pilot he is the one out and he’ll take that fall.  But he forgot: the others want him just as much as he wants them.  Red loves him just as much as he loves her.  Her run with the little green spark was good, but Red wants her Paladin back, and she is the kind of Lion who gets what she wants._

 ** _Mine._**  

Red’s rippling roar could deafen a Balmera.  It was really a wonder that she had accepted Pidge, so picky and so attached to her favorite Human, but everyone had had to make changes, then.  She had always been overfond of her Paladin, and she had him back now.  She had her true Paladin back, and she wanted the universe to know.  Nothing stood a chance against them, together. 

Pidge smirked at Keith stumbling back down the ramp, looking more than a little shell-shocked.  “Forceful, isn’t it?  She’s your problem now, thank stars.”

Shiro shook his head in amusement.  The fire was back, and Zarkon wasn’t going to know what hit him. 

“And now,” the not-Red Paladin said, turning, “I want Green back.  No offense, Hunk.”

“None taken,” he said with an understanding smile.  “I absolutely love Green, but she’s not Yellow.  It was great to be with her, and wow being an Arm is _something_ , but I’m a Leg at heart.  Take her.”  He offered the Green Bayard, quiet in its inactive form, and Pidge didn’t hesitate to take her weapon back. 

_Oh, how Green has missed her little star.  Red needed a Paladin, and Green knows her sister-Arm, knows that Red really only wanted her own but that she would accept Green’s in his stead, just for a little while.  So she let her go.  The Shield became the Sword, and Green is so proud of her.  In turn, Green took on Yellow’s heart – borrowed, until she could get her own back.  He was such a good fit, worth more than he appears to be.  It really was worth it all, just to be with him.  But he is not her Paladin, and he knows what his mind is worth.  He knows it all, and in the end he really does prefer Yellow.  Green knows that he is more than just his strength, and she loves that he knows it too.  He is perfect, and he belongs back with her bright powerful golden sister._

_And that’s just it.  They chose for reasons, the first time.  This was all just a shuffle, just a trade.  The pieces are all back on the board, and the game resets the way it should be.  Black’s true Paladin is home, and so the cascade goes – Red’s fire has returned, and now it’s Green’s turn.  She loved her time with Yellow’s Paladin, but this little spark is_ hers. _That mind, a galaxy’s worth of brilliance contained in such a small body.  That heart, so brave and ferocious in the face of everything.  Little and sharp and clever and fast, a perfect new-sun match to a Lion centuries old.  This is Green’s true Paladin, and she is overjoyed to have her back._

**_Mine._ **

Green lit up like a lightning strike, brilliant and shining and _alive._ She eventually dimmed, settling, but the humming energy remained. 

Pidge bounded back out, glowing like her Lion.  “Oh my god Green is my favorite forever.  Sorry, Red.”  The Lion didn’t bother responding, too busy basking in the presence of her favorite Paladin, returned to her at last. 

“And now,” Allura said, holding out the Yellow Bayard to Hunk, “I believe this is yours.”

He honestly looked a little surprised, but then his face cleared and he accepted the bayard with a smile.  “You were a good Paladin,” he said, meeting her eyes.  “Yellow loved you.”

“And I loved her,” Allura said.  “But I am not her true Paladin, you are.  Now go to her.”

 _Oh, her great brave Paladin.  How Yellow has missed him, while he was with her smaller sister, being an Arm, a Shield.  She’d loved her old Paladin’s cub, shared in memory and in strength.  They had worked well together.  The little queen knows, now, that she and her dearest advisor are not the only ones who miss_ him _.  She knows even more of her powers, how to use them, and she knows that she is never alone.  But in the end the princess is a Princess, not a Paladin.  She is a force to be reckoned with and she does not need a Lion to do all that she does.  Yellow will cherish their time together forever, but it is time for her true Paladin to return to her._

_Now he is back, a Leg at heart just like her.  Others might overlook it, but Yellow knows her Paladin’s worth, body and mind.  He does, too.  He knows, and he’s chosen her, her strength and stability, over all else.  Protector at heart, just like her.  They are both easily underestimated, but that is to their advantage and everyone else’s loss.  They are much more than anyone could expect.  Her Paladin is a geode, and she loves that she gets to be a part of the shine within._

**_Mine._**  

Yellow’s eyes gleamed like gold, shining like the sun, and a rumbling like thunder rolled through the hangar.  It took a while for Hunk to reemerge, and when he did his eyes were wet.  He waved off the concern, explaining in a slightly choked voice, “Happy tears.  Man, I _missed_ her.”

Lance gave his friend a hug, shaking his head.  “I am _so_ glad I didn’t have to deal with all of this.  Aren’t you gonna get whiplash or something, going from Leg to Arm to Leg?  And Pidge went _sideways._   Bleh.” 

_They are all back where they are supposed to be.  None are missing.  None are filling in where they can, doing their best but just patching the holes.  All is well, and balance is restored to Voltron._

_The greatest changes always need a stability point, a linchpin.  That’s good, because she would never give him up.  He was the source of familiarity, something normal and unchanging, for the others as they swirled between Lions like waves.  Now they’re all back where they belong, settling and stilling, water calming at last.  Blue is glad, happy to feel her sisters’ joy rolling through the bonds, but she’s gotta be a little bit smug._ She _didn’t give up_ her _Paladin.  She waited for him, and she’s not sharing with anybody else.  He’s never left her, and she’s never left him._

**_Always._ **

Allura watched the reshuffle, heart aching with happiness for the reunions happening before her. And if the joy-ache was twinged just a little bit with sadness, well, that was just how things were.  She would miss the Yellow Lion, miss being a Paladin.  The Princess of Altea was a lot of things, but in the end she was never meant to be a Paladin.  Voltron needed her, that was indebatable, but it needed her in the castle.  She was most useful there.  She was best able to aid her Paladins not from the cockpit of a Lion, but from the control center of the Castle of Lions, guiding and supporting just as vitally, in a different form.  She had truly loved the experience, understood more of Voltron and quintessence and the universe than she ever had before.  Now, she knew that she and Coran weren’t the only ones who missed Alfor. 

And it was done.  They were back – they were all back.  Shiro had returned to them, and with his restoration they had all cascaded back, returning to their true Lions. 

Safe.  Settled.  Whole. 

Voltron was back. 


	4. the encore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They do it again

Sometimes it felt like a dream.  That Shiro had been missing, that any of them had ever piloted a Lion other than their own.  Shiro was there, real and whole and alive, and the concept of being in a different Lion felt almost impossible.  Each Paladin was suited to their Lion – there was a reason each Lion had chosen as they had – so the idea of any change to that was almost unimaginable. 

So it was very strange when it all happened again. 

“I hate to say it, but I think I should stay in the castle for this one.”  Shiro was making a face as he said it, but he wasn’t wrong.  This enemy had a pattern he was familiar with, more than the other Paladins.  He couldn’t remember the details of how or why he knew – yet another piece of information missing from his memory – but for this mission, the best place for Shiro was in the castleship, overseeing the battlefield and directing his teammates to defeat the threat. 

“And I hate to agree with you, but I believe I must.”  Allura was frowning as she stared at the map.  She wouldn’t be needed for this; the castle was out of danger and the situation did not allow for it to provide good backup.  None of them liked sitting on their hands, safe and alone while the others fought.  It was part of why they all made such a good team. 

Shiro looked over the map once more, his mind turning over the situation.  He paused for a second, then turned around to face Keith.  In his hand was the Black Bayard.  “Looks like I’m out of the frontlines for this one.  Wanna take the lead for a while?”

At first, Keith didn’t move.  But this wasn’t last time.  He wasn’t being cornered into piloting his brother’s Lion in a last-hope plan to keep Voltron from crumbling without a Head.  Shiro was right here, holding the Bayard in his own Human hand and offering it by choice.  If Keith said no, they could still make it work.  He didn’t have to touch Black again, he could stay with Red, stay with his true Lion, if he wanted. 

That was exactly why he took it.  He could do this – he would do this – and then, when they were done, he would give it back.  Red was his.  He wasn’t sure exactly what Black had seen in him, but whatever she’d seen when she’d gazed into his heart had been enough for her to allow him to pilot her.  He wasn’t going to let her down. 

Now it was his turn.  Keith turned and tossed the Red Bayard, the inactive weapon shining as it spun through the air.  Pidge caught it without looking up from her computer.  Her real strengths lay in shadows and code, surprise and electricity.  But she was just as much a warrior as any Arm, and the switch from Left to Right was easier than she would have imagined.  She’d learned from the best, after all. 

Now she paused in her work, leaning back to examine her new Bayard.  With her other hand, she wordlessly passed the Green Bayard to Hunk.  It was time to shed the cloak and wield the daggers. 

Hunk turned the Bayard over a few times, smiling.  Yellow was a fortress, but he had learned to love Green’s stealth and speed, without needing to rely on armor and defense.  Green was _fun_ for him, a bright spark of crackling energy that he loved.  Although Yellow’s deep steady powerful glow would always be his true heart, going on an adventure with Green wasn’t something Hunk would turn down anytime soon. 

“Hey, Princess.  How do you feel about rejoining Voltron?”

Allura maintained a professional face as she accepted the Yellow Bayard, but her eyes were shining.  She loved Yellow.  Loved the strength and the power, the solid stability and the feeling of being part of something so much bigger.  She knew that in the end she belonged in the castle, but there was no resisting this pull.  Yellow had been her father’s Lion, and although she was now Hunk’s, Allura would never stop loving the fact that it could be hers, too.  

“Man, here we go again.  You guys give me a headache,” Lance complained, but he was smiling.  Here went his teammates again, spinning off into different Lions like they were playing Musical Voltron.  He was happy with Blue, and she was happy with him.  No trading around Paladins like Pokémon cards for them, thank you very much. 

Shiro wasn’t missing this time.  He would be right here, safe in the castle, guiding them from afar.  Keith had his Lion, but only for this one mission.  Then the Black Lion would return to her rightful Paladin, and he couldn’t be happier about that.  Pidge had flipped from one Arm Lion to the other with ease, comfortable with Red and confident in her abilities as Keith’s Right Arm.  She would always love Green, always be most comfortable when unknown and unseen, but sometimes you just want to fight something head-on.  Hunk was going without his shell of impenetrable armor, but he was looking forward to Green’s sharp clarity and shining energy, looking forward to matching it.  It was quite a transition, moving from solid defensive Leg to clever agile Arm, but he was still Shield-side.  It worked, and he loved it.  Allura had not been chosen by the Yellow Lion because of who her father was.  She was a formidable Paladin in her own right and was perfect for Yellow, as Yellow was for her.  Lance would once again provide the balance point, the stillness settling the water and bringing clarity. 

Later, they would all switch back, return to their proper Lions like the change had all been a dream, yet again.  But for now, it was time to go. 

_Form Voltron._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> regardless of how canon handled/handles the lion shuffle, i really enjoyed the concept of alternate paladin arrangements and this was super fun to write. thanks for reading!


End file.
